Shoreline Amphitheatre

Shoreline Amphitheatre is an outdoor amphitheater located in Mountain View, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The venue has a capacity of 22,500, with 6,500 reserved seats and 16,000 general admission on the lawn. When the parking lot is utilized for festival stages, the total capacity of the venue can reach 30,000.

Shoreline Amphitheatre
"Shoreline"
Shoreline Amphitheatre as seen from ground level
AddressOne Amphitheatre Parkway
LocationMountain View, California
Coordinates37.426778°N 122.080733°W / 37.426778; -122.080733
OwnerCity of Mountain View
OperatorLive Nation
TypeOutdoor amphitheatre
Seating typereserved, lawn
Capacity22,500
Opened1986
Website
www.livenation.com
Aerial photograph of Shoreline Amphitheatre, with the parking lots and the neighboring golf course.

History

The amphitheatre was built in 1985–1986 by the city of Mountain View, in cooperation with local promoter Bill Graham, as part of the Shoreline Park project. Graham designed the amphitheatre to resemble The Grateful Dead's "steal your face" logo.[1]

The premiere season was during the summer of 1986, it was planned to open with a concert by The Grateful Dead, who had to cancel as a result of Jerry Garcia's coma. The first performance at the amphitheater was comedienne Rosanne Barr, opening for Julio Iglesias on June 29, 1986.[2]

Built on a landfill

In its opening year, a fan attending a Steve Winwood concert flicked a cigarette lighter and ignited methane that had been leaking from a landfill beneath the theatre. Several small fires were reported that season. After those incidents, the city of Mountain View commissioned methane testing studies to define the location of methane vapors emanating from the soil within the amphitheater.[3] These tests were used in developing a design for improved methane monitoring and more efficient methane extraction to ensure the amphitheater became safe as an outdoor venue. Ultimately, the lawn was removed, a gas barrier and methane removal equipment were installed, and then the lawn was re-installed.

See also

References

  1. Vaziri, Aidin (May 27, 2011). "25 years, 25 fabulous Shoreline Amphitheatre facts". SFGate. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  2. "The Best Amphitheaters in America". Rolling Stone. 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  3. Methane testing in the vicinity of landfill environs, EMI prepared for the City of Mountain View, Ca., 1986-87
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